Keep Fighting
by Indareun
Summary: Indareun and Anduril are old friends of Aragorn and the twins. When they return to Rivendell after five yearsf being gone, bad things start to happen. Will all of the friends make it alive?
1. The Beginning

Anduril and Indareun 

Chapter 1:

**Though he couldn't tell the exact time, Indareun knew it was growing late. The sun was almost half way covered by the horizon when the brothers reached Rivendell. Indareun turned to Anduril and smiled. "We've finally made it brother." **

When the two walked into the gates of Rivendell they were greeted by a familiar face. It was the face of Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. The twins had known Elrond since they were little elflings. They had been friends with his sons all of their childhood.

**The two hugged Elrond for they had not seen him in an entire five years. "Where are Aragorn, Elrohir, and Elladan?" Anduril asked excitedly, "For I much desire to see them again and speak to them."**

**"I'm afraid they are not here at the moment. They left last week on another one of their adventures with Prince Legolas. They should arrive back tomorrow evening though if you would like to stay." Elrond walked over to a bench that was placed under a beautiful cherry tree, which was in full bloom and sat.**

**"Yes please." Agreed Indareun looking at Anduril to see what he was thinking. "We shall wait if it is alright with my brother." He added. Anduril nodded as a sign that he was pleased to be asked what he wanted to do. "Yes we shall." He said pleasantly.**

**Elrond showed the two to their rooms. "You get some rest and I should like to see you tomorrow morning at breakfast." He didn't wait for a reply before he closed the door. He hesitated for a second before leaving. **

**"Thanks for the nice goodnight." Mumbled Anduril, almost to himself. Elrond heard the young elfling's gesture and just grinned and walked away. "Elves..." He whispered.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**The next morning at breakfast the twins decided they were going to show up on time. This seldom happened when they visited Rivendell but they knew elves get irritated easily in old age and didn't want to get on Elrond's bad side when they had just arrived.**

**On the way down to the dining area, the brothers' heads were flooded with memories from their childhood. They used to run around and play in these halls all day long. The two started playing tag but soon stopped when they realized they were almost to their destination.**

**"Good morning!" Elrond called to them pleased that they were on time for once in their lives. "Did you sleep well last night?" He added.**

**"Yes! We slept very well." The twins said simultaneously. They sat down at the table and started eating the marvelous breakfast that had been set out.**

**After they had finished eating, Anduril and Indareun went down to the giant cherry tree and rested. They talked about all of the fond memories they had shared in this place they called their second home. The tree under which they sat had been in most of them. They had remembered the tree being there forever. Only it was much smaller than it was now.**

**The two spent the whole day under the tree and in the forest thinking about all of their adventures and misadventures in Rivendell with Aragorn, Elladan, and Elrohir. They were so happy in this place.**

**When evening came, the twins waited anxiously for the arrival of their friends. When they finally saw the four coming up the road on horseback, they ran to Elrond and begged him not to tell anything of their arrival to Rivendell. When he agreed not to say anything, they hastily went to hide in the arriving friends' rooms. **


	2. What Happens Next?

**Chapter 2:**

**Aragorn steered his horse closer to Legolas'. "I do not like this. The trees whisper of an evil that has arrived in Rivendell." Said Legolas cautiously. "We should be careful."**

"**Look at this. Now, even our own home isn't safe from people trying to kill us." Mumbled Aragorn.**

**The group walked into Rivendell's gates and Elrond greeted them. "My sons. How was your trip? I greatly wish to hear about it after you've rested." He gestured after hugging them all.**

**Elrohir put his hand on his father's back. "Our trip was fine Ada. And how are you? Have you had any visitors since we left for Fangorn?**

"**I've been fine and no, I haven't had any visitors with the acception of two coons that came up last night." He snickered at the thought of this, for Anduril and Indareun were the coons he had talked about.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**By this time Indareun and Anduril had become weary of hiding in the small spaces under the beds. They came out and thought up a new plan.**

"**This is going to get them good." Giggled Indareun as he put the finishing touches on his brother's costume. "Yeah." Agreed Anduril. "Real good." He added with a smirk.**

**When Anduril's costume was all finished, Indareun stepped back to admire his work. Anduril looked so much like an orc, Indareun jumped two feet from where he had been standing. "Excellent!" He said evilly. **

**The two walked out of the room and Indareun saw that the new comers were still standing just inside the gate talking to Elrond. "You keep walking till you get about 10 feet away from them and you know what to do when you get there."**

**Anduril walked closer while Indareun hid a little ways off. When he got close to Aragorn, he started acting and talking like an orc.**

"**What! How did that get here!" Aragorn screamed. Elladan ran up to the so-called orc and hit it with his sword. (Luckily the blade was dulled) "Oooww!" Gasped Anduril. He hit Elladan back and knocked him down so Elrohir got his bow out and shot Anduril in the arm with one of the yellow-tipped arrows. Anduril fell to the ground with a sharp cry of pain.**

"**Wait. That's not an orc!" Warned Aragorn. At that exact moment, Indareun ran out for his brother. "Indareun!" Yelled Elrohir. "Then that means this is…Anduril?" **

**Indareun took the costume off of Anduril. "Geez! When we meant to do a prank we didn't want anybody getting hurt. Especially not an arrow through their arm." Argued Indareun. **

**Elrond bent down over Anduril and looked at his arm. "The wound is bad. It is very deep because it was shot from so close. Luckily it was in the arm." He picked Anduril up by his other arm and took him to the healing hall.**

**When Elrond got Anduril to the healing hall and in a bed, Anduril lost consciousness from the pain. The experienced healer began his work.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 **

**Meanwhile in the parlor sat Indareun, Elrohir, Aragorn, Elladan, and Legolas. "When did you arrive?" Asked Aragorn in a curious voice. "Just last evening." Replied Indareun sorrowfully.**

**Elrohir sat in a corner and thought about how sorry he was. He was so ashamed of himself for firing an arrow at one of his best friends. He couldn't help but feel like he had been crushed by a giant stone that had been tossed off a cliff onto his heart.**

**Legolas got up slowly and silently walked over to Elrohir. When he reached his friend he noticed something awful. Elrohir's face was deathly pale and he was shaking immensely. Legolas became very worried about his companion.**

"**Take him to Elrond!" Legolas demanded to Elladan and Aragorn. "Take him now!" He screamed in a trembling voice.**

**Aragorn and Elladan took their brother to Elrond in the healing hall. "Ada, there is something really wrong with Elrohir." Elladan whispered in his father's ear. Elrond rapidly turned around to see his sons white face. "Quickly, get him into that bed!" He pointed to a white cotton covered bed next to a window, which showed the beautiful cherry tree right underneath it. **

**Aragorn took his beloved brother to the bed and placed the blankets tightly over him. "Ada, he is so cold." He pleaded. "Make him better. Please Ada!"**

"**I think it's best you two go back down to the parlor." Suggested Elrond. He swiftly shooed the brothers out of the room and continued his work.**

**Elladan walked over to the garden, which was right next to the healing hall, and sat on a carved stone bench. "Why did all of this have to happen? I mean…friends come that we have not seen in over five years and one of them gets shot in the arm with an arrow. Oh! And to top that off, Elrohir gets sick! How could anything get worse?" He cried.**

"**This could be much worse brother. Trust in Ada to take care of Elrohir and Anduril. He is the best healer in all the land. Believe in hope brother. Estel." Aragorn crouched down beside Elladan and saw a tear flow like a river down his cheek. "It will be alright." He whispered as he kissed his brother on the forehead.**

**Elladan lifted his head up slightly. "We'd better get back down to the parlor. Legolas and Indareun will be worried."**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**The room was silent except for the slight noise Legolas' chair made when he moved.**

"**I'm afraid we haven't been introduced." Offered Indareun. It was a sorry attempt to try and get his mind off things. "My name is Indareun. I come from Rivendell originally but I haven't been here in more than five years. I travel around but I've mostly stayed in Gondor. My brother is Anduril. We pretty much don't go anywhere without one another. Kind of like you and Aragorn I guess." This last sentence could scarcely be heard.**

"**I am pleased to meet you Indareun. I have looked forward to it for a very long time. Your friends talk about you a lot. I am Legolas prince of the Mirkwood Realm and son of Thranduil. You are correct. Aragorn and I don't go anywhere out of Rivendell without the other coming." He snickered as he recalled one time when he had tried to leave without Aragorn.**

**Legolas was soon snapped out of his memory as Aragorn and Elladan came into the room. "How are they doing?" whispered Indareun. "Ada would not allow us to stay and check but I'm afraid for Elrohir. His face was deathlike and he was so cold to the touch." Answered Aragorn.**

"**I think we'll have to pray to the Valar about this one." Elladan mumbled dryly. His voice was shallow and sorrowful as he looked toward to the floor and thought.**


	3. Keep Fighting

**Chapter 3:**

**The elves waited in the parlor for two hours before Elrond crept quietly out of the room. Indareun was the first to notice him walking down the hall.**

"**How are they?" He asked Elrond as he ran hastily over to the elf lord. "Anduril will survive although I did have to do surgery on his arm. It was a very deep wound and it hit an internal artery." Elrond's face was tired and worn. "And Elrohir? How is he?" Indareun said after taking a second to think about Elrond's answer. Elrond looked down at the ground. "I've done all I could think of but I can't figure out what he has. He's getting worse by the hour and I'm afraid he won't live much longer." **

**As Elrond said this, tears started forming little rivers down his cheeks. Legolas and Aragorn had come up from behind Indareun and they tried their best to comfort their father though the tears were flowing freely from their eyes too.**

**Indareun's heart felt like a bomb had been dropped on it. He walked into the forest to be alone and think about his brother and friend. "We should never have come here Anduril." He said mournfully even though he knew his brother could not hear him. **

**Indareun sat on the forest floor and wept for hours. When he went back into the gates of Rivendell to eat supper, his tears had dried but the stains they had left still showed on his fair face.**

**He reached the dining room and didn't find a soul. He figured that they were all in the healing hall watching over Anduril and Elrohir so he started to walk across the halls.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**Aragorn sat on his bed in despair. He wondered where Indareun had gone when he walked off. His mind was filled with memories and thoughts about his brother. He didn't want to lose Elrohir like he had come so close to a few years before.**

**He thought about the time that Elrohir had gotten captured and tortured by orcs while on his way to Mirkwood. Elrohir had gotten injured so badly he almost died. He was confined to the healing hall for six months.**

**Aragorn remembered how he felt when he saw Elrohir the day after he was rescued. He had felt the same way he felt now. Like he was losing his companion and he was being tortured and torn apart limb from limb. He wished he could take Elrohir's place and he gladly would if he got the chance. **

**Aragorn prayed to the holy Valar that Elrohir wouldn't die. Tears ran from his eyes as he quietly talked to his lord. **

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**Elrond walked into his room and lay on the bed. Tears started flowing down his face. He really did not know if Anduril would be okay. The wound had gotten infected and Anduril already had a high fever.**

**Elrond also worried about his real son. "What is it that Elrohir had? Is it just because he blames himself for what happened to Anduril and after a bit of rest he will be okay?" Elrond talked to himself through the tears while he sat there on his bed. "No. It couldn't be that. That wouldn't explain the fever and white face. What is wrong with him?" Elrond was blaming himself for this incident because he had allowed the twins to persuade him not to tell of their arrival.**

**He was so exhausted. He was weeping and he just fell back and looked at the ceiling. Before long, the elven lord was fast asleep with tearstains on his cheeks.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 **

**Legolas walked into the gardens after Elrond had gone to his room. He'd never heard of Elrond not knowing what was wrong with someone. He was the best healer there was! If he didn't know what to do, no one would. **

"**I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens." He thought out loud.**

"**I guess we will." Came a voice from behind him. It was Elladan. Legolas looked into his eyes and they were a silvery gray. He could see that Elladan had been crying. "This has been a sad day for everyone. Maybe we will wake up tomorrow and it will all just be a dream." He said solemnly. "No, this is no dream. This is real and you can't hide from the truth. Elrohir is dying." Elladan's voice was shaky and Legolas could tell that he was about to cry. **

"**Come here mellon nin. I know that it may seem that Elrohir is dying, but I don't think that the holy Valar would take him away from us right now. He will be okay. You just have to believe." Legolas pulled Elladan close to him and started weeping.**

"**That's what Aragorn told me. That's almost exactly what Aragorn told me. Elrohir and I have this…connection. We can sense when the other is in trouble and when one of us is weak, the bond between us weakens and the other can feel it. I feel it now and the bond is almost gone. That is why I say he is dying. The connection is almost broken." After these words, Elladan burst out crying and all of his pain came out. He lay on Legolas' shoulder and just wept. There was really nothing else he could do. The two friends sat in the garden for the rest of the evening.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**Indareun was almost to the healing halls when he heard a faint crying sound. He quietly looked around and his eyes found Legolas and Elladan in the gardens. Indareun watched the two with grief. He saw the love and the pain in their faces. The pain was so great but the love in their eyes was greater. **

**The twin walked on and went into the healing hall. He saw Elrohir in the corner. His friend looked so graceful lying there in the sun with the big pink and white cherry tree in the background. "My friend, you need to get well. Your family is worried about you and you have brought grief to Rivendell. Your mother would hate to see her eldest son like this." He whispered softly into Elrohir's ear.**

**Indareun walked over to his brother. He couldn't even tell this was the same elf. Anduril's face was pale and sweat was running down it. The pillow behind his head was soaked. Indareun looked at his twin's closed eyes then at the injured arm. It was wrapped in a bandage and he couldn't see the damage that the arrow had done. "My brother, you have to wake up now. If not now, then you have to later. If you don't wake up I won't have anybody to play tricks on or to accompany me on my journeys. Please brother. Do it for me. For nana." **

**Indareun walked over to the rocking chair that had been set near Anduril's bed. Sitting down, he remembered his nana. He wondered what she would say if she was still with them. A tear quickly rolled down the side of his face and he fell into a long, troublesome sleep.**


End file.
